An Array of Texture, Halloween Accessory

It's time to break out those costumes, cake on the makeup, and get spooky!

 

With Halloween right around the corner some terrifying texture is a must.  I was brainstorming ideas when I came across this old skeleton ring hidden in my jewelry box.  Cool hu?!

 

...but to be stuck on my finger, where only the occasional eye sees it, nah.  This needs to stand out, attract attention, make a statement.

 

I started by ruffling a piece of lace into a circle.

 

 

Then I slipped the skeletons through the hole and secured the ring into place.

 

 

I left the actual ring attached to the skeletons because I thought maybe I'd keep it as a ring.

 

 

But my goal was bigger than that.  So I took some more lace and made a headband.

 

 

I secured the ruffle skeleton piece to the headband, but still left the ring attached just in case I ever want to wear it that way.  To cover up the silver from the back I attached a black feather.

 

 

Here's the finished piece.  Sorry my hair is so dark, it blends right in.  But I still like it!

An Array of Texture Tuesday, Little Black Dress Refashion

Happy Tuesday!

The Little Black Dress, a must for every woman's wardrobe.  I know I've said this before, but it's true.  It's just too easy to dress up or dress down and wear it in so many ways.

 

Although my wardrobe does include a few LBD's, I always find reasons not to wear them... That one's too fancy, don't like this one's material, that ruffle looks like I'm trying to hide something.   It's exhausting trying to feel comfortable in my own clothes.   My goal today is to actually feel comfortable in a piece of clothing that should be easy to wear.  Needless to say, the ruffles gotta go!

Don't get me wrong, this is a very nice dress so I am a little nervous about changing the look of it, but something has to be done.  I can't wear a belt or a cardigan with it and it always makes me feel like I have more under the ruffle than I really do.  So here it goes.

 

First I had to go about deconstructing the ruffle.  After carefully ripping seams between the ruffle and the dress, I decided that maybe I should use the fabric from the ruffle instead of taking the whole neckline apart to get it off.  Note the wrinkles, I was experimenting.

 

Inspired by a few of the 1950's necklines, I decided to make a rosette from the attached material, using an easy twist and roll method.  Securely fastened in place with a few thread darts, this is what I ended up with...

 

I haven't had a chance to try it on yet, but I already like it better!  I'll let you know how I truly feel about it after I've worn it.  Until then...

An Array of Texture Tuesday, Bib Tee

Last week I was going through Sawyer's plethora stuff, as I do every week for things he's outgrown (a little sad, right?), when I came across this...

 

 

I'm 99% positive it's a bib, but I've always been a little curious as to how this hand-me-down worked and I've come to the conclusion it's missing a piece or two.  But to throw it out would just be silly.

 

I know I've recently done a bib cover tutorial, but I didn't want to have to wait to use this.  So I'm taking a simple tee, particularly this burgundy one (I feel manly in this color), and I'm dressing it up for a more feminine look.

 

 

First, I carefully took off the trimming, so I just had one layer to work with.

 

Then I shaped the top of the bib to match the neckline of the t-shirt

and

attached it to the shirt with a zig-zag stitch.

 

Easy peasy lemon squeezy!  ...I know, most of the work was already done for me, but hopefully I'll enjoy it a little more!

 

If you were wondering...Bryan and I had a great time last night, kiddo free!  We spent the evening enjoying the new country band, Florida Georgia Line, singing and dancing till our voices and feet hurt.  They rocked the house!  I was hoping to post a few pictures, but sometimes I forget I have a cell phone to take pictures with; when you have zero cell service at home and mainly use a house phone, it's bound to happen.  But here's Florida Georgia Line's new single, Cruise, if you want a peak at what we relished in last night.

A special thanks to my Aunt Carla for watching our little monster!

 



 

An Array of Texture Tuesday, Scarf Wrap

It's Tuesday again!  As I was a little unprepared this week, I decided to make a simple fix for an easy project.  Since the cold weather will be calling all warm clothes, I figured restyling a few things would make it feel like I have a new piece to wear, rather than just the same, boring items I've been sporting for the last three years.

 

So without further ado, a simple fix...  A long, flappy scarf turned into a modest, secured scarf wrap!

 

First off, I picked this scarf because I hate the tassels on the ends...they drive me absolutely crazy, bonkers, nuts!

 

Make sure each tassel is knotted tightly at the base of the scarf.

CUT the dang things off!  It may look a little rugged on the ends, but in my opinion, that only adds some flair.

Add a few buttons to one end of the scarf.  On the other end, match placement of the buttons and make button holes.  *With the knitted design of this scarf I just used the loose knit as a button hole.

Now all that's left to do is wrap and secure in place.

 

In the end, I decided to take the middle button off.  It was just too much for me.  On the contrary, I don't think I will be having any drafts on my neck this fall, that's for sure!

An Array of Texture Tuesday, Sweater Boot Socks

Well, another late post tonight; what's new, I know.  Sorry for the lack of anything exciting this week.  "Summer got the best of me" as my mom would say, not because I lost inspiration, but because I was having too much fun in the sun!  And it did it again.  With very few warm days remaining, we took that camping trip.  And boy was it fun!

 

My boys enjoying the river.

 

Not to worry!  I made it back in time for another textured Tuesday...

 

After months of asking Bryan for items from his closet, he finally made a gracious donation, a sweater, for this week's An Array of Texture!  Although, I was very hesitant about cutting into it; he's not the sweater type but he did like this one and it always looked so good on him.  Sadly, it just doesn't fit, his shoulders are too broad anymore.  So for now, I will only be taking the sleeves for a warm pair of boot socks, who knows, maybe I'll turn it into a sweater vest for him!

Cut the sleeves off of the sweater.

To fit my leg better, I turned the sleeves inside out and sewed a straight line up to the cuff.  Trim the excess fabric.

Turn the raw edges under and sew two rows for a clean finish.

Accessorize if you desire!  I left these plain because I enjoyed the simple look.

Ready for fall; a cozy pair of boot socks!  Although, wearing these with boots cover up the design, so another option...

 

A fun pair of leg warmers!

An Array of Texture Tuesday, T-shirt to Tank

Yes, we will miss the warm weather and the sun, our golden tans and the clothing.  Those simple pieces of an outfit that make you happy, such as a pair of sandals and a tank top.  So to inspire the last few sunny days of summer I am turning a simple t-shirt into a fun and flirty tank.

Before

After

Again, I apologize for the lack of pictures and I promise to improve on it...

To start the transformation from t-shirt to tank, cut off the sleeves of the shirt on the inside of the seam, leaving the raw edge.  Note:  The raw edge look is intentional and most t-shirt fabrics won't fray, just make sure your cuts are smooth.

Next, cut off the hem of the t-shirt, leaving the raw edge as well.

With the leftover fabric from the sleeves, sew together smalls strips, 1/2 inch wide, long enough to make a ruffle all the way around the neck hole and attach it to the shirt.

To add a little more flair, attach a small yo-yo to the side of the neckline.

There you have it.  A simple tank to show off those golden arms (okay, mine not so much) a few more times!

An Array of Texture Tuesday, Bib Cover

Welcome back to another Tuesday filled with layers and layers of texture!  Today I will be using some fabric scraps to change the look of a dress, so that maybe I'll want to wear it.  I received this dress as a hand-me-down over a couple of years ago (I also have one in black).  I love the style and fit of the dress but never wear it because I try to avoid wearing anything with a label and as you've probably noticed, I'm not much of a skater.

The style of this dress reminds me of relaxed summer fashion and a nautical look is what came to mind, so I just went with it.  I knew to cover up the label I'd need to put a bib style of some sort on it, but I also wanted to add character to the dress, so pleats were a must:

 

I frayed all of the edges of the fabric, then I pressed the pleats into place, and sewed right above the fold for a crisp look.

At this point I thought it needed something more...sailorish!  I grabbed some navy blue scraps and whipped up a small ruffle to line the bottom with (sorry about the limited pictures).  The tricky part was attaching the bib to an elastic neckline.  I pinned the bib to the fabric right under the elastic as it was stretched out and sewed it into place.  As you can see in the picture below, it shapes with the elastic when it's relaxed.  However, when it's being worn you don't notice it because it's stretched out.

To finish the look, I attached two buttons on one side of the bib.



Here is the finished look!  Now, if someone could navigate me towards the ocean...

I found my way to the ocean once before, nine months pregnant:  here is the same dress in black, worn as a maternity dress because it was super comfy!  If only I had thought of this before.

An Array of Texture Tuesday, Tuxedo Blouse

Welcome to the very first Tuesday of  An Array of Texture!  I thought I would start this Tuesday off by the use of my trusty closet.  After rummaging through all of the forgotten items that have been lost in the dark over the years, I came up with my first exciting piece...

A white button-up shirt with three quarter sleeves.  Not a vintage piece, but in dire need of a textile lift.

I decided to take this plain button-up and attempt to transform it into a tuxedo style blouse.

Step 1:  Using a lace trim, I sewed it into place on both sides of the button holes and buttons running the length of the shirt.

Step 2:  With the same trim lace, I sewed it around the opening of the sleeve.

And with these two easy steps, I created a beautiful tuxedo style blouse.  Success!  What do you think,  does a little texture go a long way?